


snapdragon

by quags1re



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Masayoshi Shido's A+ Parenting, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29883549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quags1re/pseuds/quags1re
Summary: P5r SpoilersDuring the final fight with Maruki, Akira finds himself transported years into the past and wonders what he's doing in 2014 when he stumbles upon Goro Akechi in Mementos, who is just about to kill Wakaba Isshiki and start up a chain of events that will eventually lead to his demise.Not if Akira has anything to say about it.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 38
Kudos: 209





	1. the hand that feeds

**Author's Note:**

> according to some descriptions i randomly found on the internet while looking up flower meanings and copypasted into this note, snapdragons represent strength, as they're able to grow in rocky, typically uninhabitable areas, but they can also symbolize themes like deviousness and grace. snapdragons are sometimes used as a charm against falsehood, according to florgeous. and according to teleflora legend has it that concealing a snapdragon makes a person appear fascinating and cordial, and in the language of flowers, snapdragons are said to represent both deception (perhaps tied to the notion of concealment) and graciousness. so thats cool dsfhksdfh
> 
> u know i thought i would never upload this but its literally been in my drafts for a year and theres like 30k words so i was like fuck it.
> 
> anyway im sure like most of u i love time travel and ive probably read every single time travel akeshu fic, reread it, and then reread it a million more times so fdhfdfh heres mine. for the purposes of this fic akiras hometown is kyoto so i dont have to make shit up about it fjdsfhgj i mean i could have said it was inaba but it looked far too rural to be his hometown and i couldnt come up with a reason as to why shido would go there lol thank u for your understanding
> 
> oh and yes this fic will have p5 and p5r spoilers so be careful everyone
> 
> i hope you enjoy snapdragon!

Akira's busy trying to struggle out of the firm grip of Adam Kadmon's hand as he keeps squeezing and squeezing and _squeezing-_ and then the next thing Akira knows is that he's tumbling out of his twin bed in his childhood home and busting his ass on the wooden floor of his childhood bedroom.

Or at least, it seems to be his bedroom in Kyoto. There is that thin crack on the ceiling that runs just under his light, making him wonder if it would one day fall on Akira and kill him, the large cat plush he won at a festival that sagged comfortably in the corner of his room, and the pc that Akira worried would catch fire if he watched a video in any other quality but 420p.

Why the hell was he here? He was fighting Maruki, and then he got snatched out of nowhere, and he remembers not being able to breathe…

Did Maruki… win? Or rather, did Akira die? All very horrifying options, ones that make Akira’s breath stutter and his heart race.

Akira takes this all in, and then he has a very justified panic attack, hunched over with a hand over his heart. He can't breathe, he can't breathe, he…

Akira manages to grasp the blanket from his bed and tug it close to his chest, his hands shaking uncontrollably. He doesn't know how much time passes before he finally calms, but by then his eyes are watering and his head is between his knees.

He leans to one side, his head knocking against his firm mattress. His hands are shaking, and shaking, because he doesn't want to check the date on his phone-

Before he can regret it, Akira flicks on his phone and examines the screen, reading the date and time. 11 am. Early February.

"What the fuck."

February 2nd, Sunday. 2014.

Akira bangs his head against the side of his bed in surprise. 

It couldn't be 2014.

Why was it 2014???

If Akira was going to be sent back in time for- for _some reason,_ he was expecting 2016, when he 'shoved' Shido and got framed for assault. Or maybe back in time to when he was born.

Then again, who said this was some sort of time travel? Maybe Maruki did place Akira in some sort of new reality where no one suffered, as he claimed. One where everyone was happy.

"Maruki?" Akira whispers, cautious at first. "Can you hear me?"

Silence. He feels like an idiot speaking to the muted beige walls of his room.

"Maruki!" Akira raises his voice, and then winces. Holy shit, did he sound young. 

Akira wasn't ever really happy in his childhood town, in his childhood home, where he thought he'd stay forever. He would be happy if Sojiro took him in for the rest of his adolescence and if the Phantom Thieves were happy too- Akira was a simple man.

Although what Maruki did was flawed, and wrong- he did say that he wanted Akira to be happy, and Akira really did believe him. After all, he had granted his wish- a wish he didn't know was his own until it brought into reality.

Akira shakes his head. He had to think- why was he sent here, back to his childhood home in Kyoto? Was there something he had to do first here? Or was there something he had to do in 2014?

He stumbles out of his room with grace and composure, that is to say, he trips over his rug and nearly walks face first into his bathroom door before hauling himself inside.

Akira is the cool leader of the illustrious Phantom Thieves, but right now he is also in his final year of middle school and his face is slightly round with youth. When he looks in the mirror, he finds a stranger- his curly hair is long enough to be pulled back into a short ponytail, and it's strange to see his face without those glasses his attorney recommended that he should buy. His staring was uncomfortable, or so he was told. Akira believed it- his eyes looked huge right now- and dead. Dark eyebags, pale skin, a turned down mouth. He didn't realize how long his eyelashes were until he saw them without the glasses.

Okay. Akira would have another panic attack in his shower, and then he would buy some glasses.

.

Akira lived alone in Kyoto- his dad was a very important business man whose work took him to America, and his mother was the manager of a popular idol who practically slept in their suitcase for most of the time. Instead of moving to America, Akira lived in their big house in the suburbs of Kyoto because it belonged to his father's father and he was loathe to sell it to anyone.

So Akira learned to feed himself, pay the bills, clean the house, do the laundry, water the plants, and everything else under the sun all at the tender age of eleven, and he didn't realize that it was rather unfair to him until he was shipped off to Tokyo for a crime that he didn't commit. He even got a license so he could drive a moped so he didn't need to take the bus or walk thirty minutes just to get to school, and purchased that moped with money he gradually accumulated on his own. He even worked part time at a grocery store on weekends even if he didn't need the money.

He towels his hair down and looks in his closet- black, red, black, some more black. Akira always did have good taste.

When he's dressed, Akira heads down the stairs and looks for the envelope of money he's been sent this month. It's on the kitchen table, and Akira flips through the money with a small frown.

There's a note between the cash.

_Akira,_

_We sent you extra money this month as a sorry for missing your birthday. We love you! - Mom & Dad_

Akira hadn't heard from his parents after they yelled at him and shipped him off to Tokyo without a word, so he bitterly ignores the part where it says that they love him. He still takes the money, though.

Should he save it for future Phantom Thief shenanigans? Buy himself a shit ton of food to drown his sorrows in as he waits for 2016 and get a chance to punch that bastard Shido in the face? Or…

**_Young Trickster._ **

Akira startles, and it really does say a lot about himself that he reaches for a dagger that he no longer has, doesn't it? He still hurries to the kitchen to get a kitchen knife, though.

Then, he realizes who called out to him.

"Arsène?" Akira asks aloud, even though it really isn't necessary to do so. It is strange that he only just noticed that his persona was still with him.

**_Use the money to buy a train ticket to Tokyo. There is something amiss._ **

A train ticket?

"Wait, Arsène! What's the meaning of this- why am I back in 2014? Are we in Maruki's reality? Answer me!" 

No response.

"ARGH!" Akira screams, frustrated enough to pull at his hair. He doesn't lose himself to his emotions often- never, actually, but he thinks he deserves to do so, as a treat. 

When he's calmed down enough, Akira slaps his cheeks and forces himself to stay calm. He is cool and collected, as he always has been. He needs to be, no matter how crazy his situation is right now. He was calm and cool when he was arrested, so he certainly could be right now.

A train ticket to Tokyo from Kyoto was expensive for a student, especially if he was going to take the fastest train. But Akira had money, and he was eager to blow it. 

Why didn't Akira think of this sooner? The metaverse probably had all the answers he was looking for. If something strange was happening in reality, then surely mementos would reflect it. And if he really was in the past, and not in some fucked up reality...

With a deep breath, Akira unlocks his phone and sees the red eye of the metaverse app staring up at him. He closes his eyes. Of course. But why did he have it now? Did his phone come back from the future with him or something?

...He can't afford to think about that right now.

Akira packs a backpack. He doesn't know how long he'll be away for, or what the situation was like in Tokyo, and he amuses himself thinking he was like a small child running away from home. In his case, he'd be running to his home, but the specifics weren't really important. He knows that he has school tomorrow, and if he doesn't show they'll call his parents, but that was alright. They wouldn't actually come back to Kyoto to scold him. 

Money, of course, is packed first, and then some more money in a hidden pocket at the bottom of the backpack. A hoodie, a hat, some socks, a change of clothes. Toiletries. Water bottles, some food. The keys to his house, of course.

Akira tugs his backpack into the kitchen and marvels at how weak his upper body strength was. He needed to train as soon as he got into the metaverse. His arms were like noodles, frail and sad. 

Barely hesitating, he reaches into a drawer and pulls out a kitchen knife. It wasn't his daggers, but it would do for now.

Akira leaves his childhood home and locks the door with nary a glance behind him, busying himself with his phone. A train ticket from Kyoto to Tokyo was about 13,000 yen at the very least. He takes a bus out of his neighborhood to the station on auto pilot. When he was first sent to Tokyo, the night before he'd memorized different routes there until his eyes burned in his skull, and he would entertain himself by planning out the most complicated route to take, but this time he just wanted to get there now.

So that he doesn't get the question of 'where are your parents?' he goes up to a machine instead and dutifully presses the buttons for a one way ticket to Tokyo. With little regret he pays. He's paid more money on TV shopping, so Akira forces himself not to wince at how much he's spending. It isn't his money after all.

He darts around the policemen. Akira can never relax around them, especially not when they could potentially seek him out and ask him where his parents were. Akira looked younger than his age at the moment, a soft face and thin limbs.

No one stares at a boy taking the train on a Sunday afternoon. Akira is pushed on board by a small wave of smiling people that gossip excitedly about their trip. Someone is talking about how they're meeting their girlfriend. A group of boys are chattering about the concert they're going to. An old lady is buying bento boxes at the store station for the small children holding her hands.

When he gets on board, Akira takes the seat closest to him and allows the conversations to wash over him, eyes closed. He only opens them when he hears a stewardess come by with a cart that boasts colorful boxes, and Akira purchases one with eel. He's throwing away his money, he knows, but it doesn't matter. The eel bento box is so tasty, and proves a welcome distraction.

She asks if he wants a drink, and Akira eyes the coffee machine before he shakes his head no. The two hour trip is spent finishing his bento box and staring out of the window. 

It's a thoughtless experience. Akira allows himself a nap.

.

He wakes up as they pull into the station, the loud din of the crowd waking him. Out of habit, he pats his pockets down and confirms that he still has his phone and wallet. 

Akira leaves the train with little fanfare and stares up at the high buildings of Tokyo with great relief. He's home. At first, he had been daunted by the size of the city, and the amount of people, been totally lost in the subway and on the trains.

He was only back in Kyoto for a moment, and yet he'd missed Tokyo.

The moment is ruined by a middle aged man shoving roughly past him. "DON'T STAND IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN DOOR, ASSHOLE," the man bellows, and hurries off, his tie flapping around as he runs off.

Akira obediently gets out of the way, a crowd of people spilling out from behind him.

Tokyo is as it always is, even if Akira's been violently taken from his time without consent and been forced into 2014. It's early February, so it's still rather chilly, but it isn't as cold as Kyoto had been. Akira leaves the station and ends up in Central Street, just perusing the streets of the city he called home. 

The diner that he studied at on rainy days looked a little more run down than he remembered, but then he recalled that they had a major renovation just before Akira arrived in 2016. The Beef Bowl shop is there, and Akira is tempted to grab a bite, but he had just eaten on the train. There was a closed off area where Akira knew they were building Big Bang Burger, and Akira briefly stops in front of it, thinking about Haru. 

Maybe he could prevent her father's death this time. He wonders how she's doing right now. How the rest of the Phantom Thieves are.

Akira ducks into a convenience store and nods a little when the clerk greets him. He beelines for the back of the shop and spots a turning rack with all sorts of glasses, from fake to slight prescription, in a wide variety of colours and sizes. There's a pair of glasses that look exactly like his old ones, but they look huge on his face, and when Akira brings them up to the counter the clerk smiles indulgently at him.

"Aren't those a bit too big for you, young man?" She asks, but still rings them up. "That's 400 yen, please."

Akira places the money on the counter. "Thank you," he whispers, and leaves, the door chiming behind him. He pulls his hood back up. The wind whips up around his face viciously, and Akira hurries to pull the glasses from where they were attached to the cardboard backing. 

He slips them on and looks at his reflection in a store window. There he was. The frames are obviously much too large for his face at the moment and they slip precariously down his nose, but he still feels better than he has before.

It's started to snow a little. Akira stares up blankly at the sky before pulling out his phone and tries to pull up Yusuke's contact info to text him if he was seeing how nice the snow looked and maybe he could use it for inspiration-

And then Akira pauses, because he's out of his depth and moreso out of his time. Yusuke doesn't know who Akira is. 

God, he needs a drink. A warm coffee, to make him forget, even for awhile.

And so Akira takes the familiar road home. He knows the trains by heart, the paths, the small stores on his way, and they all look simultaneously new and nostalgic. Two years changes a lot of things, apparently. For one, he knows that the ginger cat running past his feet will gain so much weight soon, and eventually have kittens. He recognizes the misshapen pattern on her forehead. The paint on the road looks fresher, but still a tad worn. He is nostalgic for things to come.

LeBlanc is warm as he walks in, and the door chimes softly. Akira takes in the sight- the warm colours, a regular customer stirring their coffee, Sojiro at the counter-

Futaba, shy but not withdrawn, kicking out her feet as she sits at one of the stools at the counter. She's spared him a glance, but she looks away just as quickly, and Akira is thrown at how young she looks. She's still young in his future, obviously, but this Futaba's hair went down to her lower back, and while she still sported that orange hair, there was a strand of pink at the front- one that looked slightly faded.

He's so thrown he almost doesn't realize that Sojiro is speaking to him.

"Welcome," Sojiro says, interrupting his thoughts. "What can I get you?"

He looks… about the same. Akira is so relieved, for some strange reason.

Akira opens his mouth and is surprised when his voice comes out clear. "A coffee, please."

Sojiro nods, saying nothing more, and busies himself. Akira watches his hands, the motion of his movements. All the same.

Futaba isn't drinking coffee, but she's got so much curry in her mouth that her cheeks bulge, and when she speaks bits of rice spray everywhere. Akira pretends that he isn't looking, sinking in the stool that Akechi sat usually in. 

"I'm telling you Sojiro," Futaba says, pointing her spoon at him. Akira immediately relaxes at the sight of her usual antics. "I'm serious! It's weird!"

"I'm listening," Sojiro says, his voice soft as he speaks to her. He sets down a cup of coffee in front of Akira without looking at him, and Akira almost smiles at him. Typical Sojiro. 

"You're not!" Futaba insists, pouting. Akira takes a sip of his coffee. Perfect, as always. He sighs, and feels his shoulders relax.

"I am, I am," Sojiro continues. "You were telling me about how your mom is acting funny."

Akira pauses, taking another sip. 

Her mom?

He startles, almost dumping hot coffee down the front of his jacket. That's right. Wakaba Isshiki was still alive, two years ago. Now is two years ago, isn't it? Akira sets the cup down, and it clacks loudly against the counter.

Fuck. 

Was he sent here to prevent this instance? But he didn't know when she would die...

"That's right," Futaba says, taking another bite and ignoring the splash of curry that ends up on her cheek. Sojiro nudges a napkin across the counter at her, but she ignores it. "She keeps hiding things from me and telling me I can't go in her room. Usually we go out together on her days off, but she's been telling me we can't go together- What do you think, Sojiro?"

He hums, but it looks to be mainly for her benefit. "I don't know. But she has been acting weird, hasn't she?"

"Maybe she's hiding a birthday gift from me…" Futaba wonders aloud, tapping her spoon to her lips as if in thought. 

"Your birthday is in a few weeks, that's right," Sojiro continues, lightheartedly. "What do you want for your birthday? There's that pop up Featherman cafe, right? Should we go there? Wakaba told me that you wanted to go, right?"

She pouts dramatically at him. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Sure, another Featherman figurine."

"...Okay, fine. Yeah. But make sure you don't get the same one as mom! It must be a huge surprise if she's this nervous about it!"

Akira chugs the rest of his coffee, ignoring the way his throat and mouth _burn._ He practically throws the money he owes onto the counter, and it draws their eye. 

"Sorry," Akira says, frantically fumbling off of his stool. "Sorry. The coffee, um, yeah, it was good," Akira declares, and he runs out of LeBlanc, his heart racing. The door chimes pleasantly above him as he nearly brains himself on the concrete stair on the way out. Great job, Akira! So much for first impressions. Then again, when Sojiro and Futaba first met him, they probably didn't have the best impression of him either. Criminal or coffee weirdo? Both great charm points in his personality.

Wakaba Isshiki was nervous because she knew Shido was sending someone to kill her. She had fulfilled her purpose with her research on cognitive science, and although she was brilliant, she knew too much. She was nervous, but not in a way that alerted her daughter nor Sojiro, but Sojiro had always regretted not reaching out to her.

Wakaba Isshiki would die this year at the hands of Goro Akechi. And judging by Futaba and Sojiro's conversation, it would be soon. 

Akira brandishes his phone and enters Mementos, feeling it wash over him. His clothes change, too, and his outfit has been changed to match his size perfectly.

He marvels at that. Then again, he hadn't really thought much about the way his outfit worked in the metaverse. He looked hot in it, and wasn't that all that mattered? Although he's sure that he doesn't have the same effect as he did when he was older…

Akira only realizes he's been spoiled by Morgana turning into a bus just now. 

Walking in Mementos is hell, to say the very least- shadows made of slime writhe their way over to him and drip viscous fluid that he steps in. Maybe if he brought his moped, it would be easier, or stole a bike…

Akira wouldn't steal a bike. He would think very pointedly about stealing one and then not do it. But he would be tempted. And if he actually did end up stealing one from a rack, he would leave a note and then return it right after. He wasn't thinking about leaving Mementos just to steal a bike, no.

He was considering it.

And the kicker was that although he knew he could pull off the moves he was accustomed to, such as ripping off the literal head of shadows, his body wouldn't always follow through. Not only that, he only had a knife, and while it did turn into a dagger with a lot of willpower, he missed his guns.

Not to mention that Arsène wasn't actually cooperating with him… Every time Akira tried to speak with him, there would be no response.

So here Akira is, wandering around like an idiot without a clue as to where he's going, and then he hears a commotion. On instinct, he flips the dagger in his hand and readies it, just in case.

Footsteps?

"Wakaba Isshiki," a voice mutters. It's low, and soft, and Akira wouldn't have normally heard it over the low din of shadows whispering and slithering around, but for some reason, this area is quiet. Silent. 

Dead.

Akira hears a sound, as though someone has clicked the safety of a gun. He breaks out into a sprint down the corridors of Mementos, frantic. If Akechi shot Wakaba Isshiki…

Then Futaba would retreat into her shell and create a palace made out of misery… What would happen to him, if he really was sent here to stop that? 

Akira rounds a corner and doubles back when he doesn't see anyone, running and running, filled with panic.

Goro Akechi.

His biggest regret, his deepest desire. If he killed another person, and Akira could stop him, and if he didn't-

He picks up speed and runs into a large cavern where the walls seem to pulse and convulse. In the middle of that cavern stood Goro Akechi, Loki a dark presence behind him, that black mask covering his face, in his stupid belted leotard that Akira couldn't puzzle out for the life of him. He knows that they don't need to change into their metaverse outfit physically, but Akira still wondered.

He is pointing a gun to the head of Wakaba Isshiki's shadow and for one heart stopping moment, Akira wonders if he's already shot her.

And then, Akechi speaks.

"Aren't you going to fight me?" Akechi demands, digging the barrel of the gun into the skin of her forehead. Akira gasps. His voice was much higher than in 2016. It would be funny in literally any other situation, maybe, but Akira is frozen to the spot. 

Wakaba Isshiki does not speak.

Even with the mask on, Akira can picture the mocking curve of his lips, his teeth bared, his eyes fiery and wild. "Hey, speak up. It's no fun if you die right away. Fight me."

Futaba's mother looks up at him with a distant expression.

"HEY!" Akechi screams, pushing it violently at her. "I'm talking to you! Don't you want to struggle? To cry? To beg for your life?"

So this Akechi had violent tendencies too, and when he was younger. Akira feels wretched just staring at him. He could probably kill Shido, right now. But more importantly…

Akechi clicks his tongue. "Then, goodbye. DIE!"

Wakaba Isshiki's lips part. "So it's time… Futaba… I'm sorry."

That's when Akira moves. "PERSONA!" Akira calls, raising a hand. 

"What-" 

What blooms behind his back is not Arsène, and Akira jolts at the sight of Satanael, emerging from the shadows. The shock only lasts a moment before Akira narrows his eyes. "MEGIDOLAON!"

 _And please don't kill him,_ Akira thinks furiously, as he darts towards Wakaba.

"FUCKING SHIT-" Akira hears Akechi curse, as he's blasted so hard he's knocked down and thrown like a rag doll across the floor.

Now is Akira's chance. "Listen to me, Wakaba Isshiki. You need to leave, now. Go and, uh, disappear like shadows do. Please."

Wakaba stares at him, eyes dull. "...Even if I run, he will catch me."

Akira grits his teeth. "I'll take care of him, so go. Now. Please."

The two of them turn their heads to see Akechi picking himself up off of the floor and laughing to himself. Not really in an amused way, but more of the batshit crazy way that Akira is familiar with. Why was that almost comforting to him? Something consistent in an unknown world. Maybe Akira was losing it.

"Think of Futaba," Akira insists, and something in Wakaba's eyes change. She locks eyes with him and nods before disappearing suddenly, leaving Akira and Akechi alone in a room. A room in Mementos, where Akechi has been murdering people for who knows how long. A room that isn't much of a room but more of an area in which an important boss battle would take place.

Akira wasn't afraid, per say, but he had no idea how to act around this Akechi. In his future, they had a sort of 'rivals that flirt and also one side hates the other while the other has feelings for their almost murderer that they would bury for, uh, let's say, until the end of time' relationship. This Akechi, for lack of a better word, was… Unstable. Not that the Akechi Akira knew wasn't. He was just better at hiding it.

Because Akira is just that suave, he lifts a hand and waves at Akechi. He doesn't know what else to do with his hands right now.

"I've never seen another person down here," Akechi says, something distinctly false in a pleasant sort of way in his voice that makes Akira tense up. Well, at least he ignored how awkward the wave was. It reminds Akira of the day that he had confronted the Phantom Thieves about their identities and threatened them with it. Polite but in a forceful way, kind because he knew that he held something over the other person's head and luxuriated in the knowledge that he could ruin them. "Is she your target, as well? Fuck off. I saw her first."

 _People die if they are killed,_ Akira thinks, stupidly. 

"People die if they are killed," Akira blurts, stupidly. If this was the Akechi from his time, he'd either give a pity laugh or a look as though he were wondering if Akira possessed something at least resembling a brain. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stand by as I was watching you attack her."

"So you know," Akechi continues, and Akira thinks curses in a wide variety of languages. "You do know what happens if you kill shadows down here, don't you? You're just like me. How else would you know?"

"I haven't killed anyone," Akira tells him. They've begun circling each other wordlessly, like animals preparing themselves to lunge and attack at any given sign of movement.

"Oh?" Akechi says, with that edge to his voice that means he doesn't buy it.

"I just know a lot more about this place than you," Akira says, and can practically feel the way that Akechi scowls beneath his mask.

As quick as ever, Akechi raises his gun and shoots at his head. Akira tilts his head to one side to dodge, but it clips his ear. Still, he doesn't move to attack, even as he feels blood trickle down the side of his head.

"Nice reflexes!" Akechi compliments, as he lunges at Akira and brings down his sword on his head. It's only those reflexes that help him dodge, weaving in and out of his frantic attacks.

Akechi did attack like this too, when he was using Loki, but it was more precise, and although his attacks were wild, they were packed with power. He wasn't as strong as he remembers-

Rudely enough, Akechi breaks him out of his reverie by using his free hand to punch him in the gut. Akira chokes on his spit, and then leaps back to widen their distance.

Akechi is still being rude, because he follows closely, laughing and laughing and laughing. "What's wrong? Call your persona! If you're going to take my target, then fight me in her stead!"

"I don't want to hurt you," Akira hisses, as he just barely dodges a swipe of his sword. His clothes tear at the contact and he hisses. Akira hadn't used Arsène in awhile, so he didn't remember if he had any healing skills, and he was also sort of wary about summoning Satanael right now.

Akechi laughs and laughs as he switches between attempting to shoot him point blank and slashing at him with his sword. Akira ducks and weaves between the attacks, but Akechi is only getting faster and faster.

Akira dodges another bullet only for Akechi to plant his boot in Akira's chest. He nearly bites his tongue as he is unceremoniously kicked to one of the writhing walls of Mementos, all while there is that lovely Akechi patented laugh track in the background.

Luckily for Akira, who is struggling to get up, Akechi prefers the dramatics, so instead of shooting him from over there he slowly walks over to Akira's weak body and points the gun at him.

"What? You're not going to call your persona and beg for your life?" Akechi asks, cocking his head to one side. He says this all as though it truly were a shame that they didn't fight to the death. "How boring. I thought I had finally met another like me."

Well, Akira doesn't actually want to die, nor does he want to accidentally murder Akechi with Satanael. What should he do?

 _Okay,_ Akira thinks. _Fuck this._

Akira grabs Akechi by the front of his stupid leotard suit and brings him closer fast enough that Akechi doesn't have time to pull the trigger. He knocks their foreheads together, hard enough to make his head swim, but it's clearly worse for Akechi, who sways a little and then passes out with a groan. He slumps over, and Akira catches him with more effort than he expected- Akira was weak in this body, and Akechi was heavier than he seemed- likely the muscle.

He stares down at Akechi, who was definitely unconscious. If he was awake he would have used this opportunity and the proximity to murder him very violently by now, or at least try to.

Akira has only just realized he has no plan for anything, and that he's got an unconscious Akechi in his arms who would be very pissed about that if he woke up right now, and that they've been in the same place in Mementos too long, and that he really, really has no plan for anything. Akira wants to scream, but he won't, so instead he just contains all of his frustration within, as always, and thinks about screaming.


	2. donut hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOSH GOSH YOU GUYS OVER 100 KUDOS FOR ONE CHAPTER??? I COULD KISS U ALL kiss kiss kiss
> 
> sfhdjdff thats the reason this chapter was written so fast because all of you are just so sweet oh dear
> 
> also im really really happy that u guys like akira so far fsdfdfdf
> 
> onto the chapter!

Akira watches Akechi wake up in stages- a sleepy unawareness, a dizzy incomprehension of his surroundings, and then a rage that Akira can practically feel radiate heat in its intensity, one that only grows when he realizes that he's being held in place by Arsène, who finally came out when Akira pouted at him.

"AHH!!! WHAT THE FUCK? DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU UGLY BASTARD!" Akechi screams, and Akira is genuinely offended on the behalf of his persona. How dare he? He couldn't say that, not when he still wore that ugly leotard. Akira has a lot of thoughts about his outfit. The Robin Hood suit may have had that pointy beak mask, but it at least wasn't a leotard.

"Arsène is beautiful, how dare you," Akira declares, making motions at his lovely persona. He thinks he preens under the compliments, maybe. Maybe that's just Akira projecting. "Look at his wings, his blade heels!"

Akechi ignores him in favor of screaming and kicking. "Get him off of me!" 

"You'll get wrinkles at a young age if you keep scowling like that," Akira tells him, but from the look on his face Akechi doesn't seem to really appreciate the advice.

"Let go of me!" Akechi yells, still flailing his legs. Akira would be rather amused were it not for the pure, unadulterated murder in his eyes. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you when I get out, you piss me off!"

Akechi tries to bite Arsène and fails. Akira's persona gives him a look that makes him laugh.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, YOU BASTARD?!" Akechi yells, because of course he does. "I'll castrate you! I'll rip off your limbs!"

"I'm not laughing at you," Akira insists.

"Fucking liar," Akechi hisses, frantically fumbling in Arsène's grasp.

"I'll let you go on one condition," Akira says, trying to channel Joker, the cool leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. "You won't kill Wakaba Isshiki. You won't kill anyone from here on out."

And Akechi starts laughing at him, which, fair.

"I'm serious," Akira says. Honestly he should have mentally prepared himself to meet this Akechi, and speak with him, and… Learn how to interact with him. Akira is certain that most of what Akechi had said to him consisted of swears so far. It was actually quite refreshing in comparison to his Detective Prince mask, but it didn't mean Akira knew how to speak with this Akechi. 

"I don't promise anything," Akechi says, and Akira huffs out a little breath. 

"I guess we're stuck here forever," Akira tells him, sweetly. He examines his nails, trying to give off the effect of looking bored. "Know any card games?"

"I know how to stab someone," Akechi says, with a grin. Why was he like this? 

Akira grins at him with as much charm as he can muster, but the boy seems wildly unimpressed. "You're so charming, aren't you?"

"That's what they tell me."

"I won't let you go," Akira says. "Why were you pointing that at someone? Aren't firearms illegal in Japan?" He asks, playing up an act. He doesn't know how Akechi would react to him yet, so it's better to act as though he doesn't know anything about him, or about this place. Just an innocent person, accidentally stumbling upon an app which took him here. Akira could totally do that, right?

"Why should I tell you anything?" Akechi spits. "Fuck, let me go already, I promise not to kill anyone!"

Yeah, sure. "You promise?"

Akechi makes a face and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I promise," Akechi says. He is so full of shit, and Akira desperately tries to hide his look of disdain.

"Do you really promise?" Akira asks.

"I really promise," Akechi says.

"Really really promise?"

"I really really promise."

"With a cherry on top?"

"Wha- Just fuckin' let me go already!"

Akira does a little wave at Arsène and he immediately frees him, and Akechi takes this opportunity to lunge at Akira. Unfortunately for him, Akira already knew he was full of shit, so he grabs one of Akechi's outstretched arms, twists, pulls him in, and flips the boy over his shoulder.

He groans loudly as he hits the floor, and Akira leans over to meet his eyes. "You're clearly full of shit," Akira says sweetly.

Akechi scowls, and reaches up to pull at the lapels of Akira's shirt. Surprised, he comes crashing down, and their foreheads smash together. Akira doesn't pass out, but a wave of dizziness washes over him. He might have a concussion, which is cool.

Feeling quite pissed by this point, Akira kicks Akechi's arm lightly as a warning to stay down, but Akechi retaliates by gripping his leg and twisting so hard that Akira lets out a shout. He tries to pull away, but Akechi's grip is so tight that Akira can hardly move. When he finally tears himself away, he lands his ass on the floor, and winces.

Vaguely, over his ringing ears, he can hear Akechi groan and rub at his forehead. Lazily, Akira slumps to the floor and lies down, just to the side of Akechi, who doesn't seem to have enough energy to move.

"What is your fucking problem?" Akechi demands, as though he wasn't the one to hold a gun to someone's head and laugh about killing them. Akira slowly turns his way, eyes still vaguely blurry. "You're pissing me off!"

"I should be asking you that," Akira breathes out, given up on moving for now. "You're the one pointing guns at people!" 

"It's not a real gun. Want me to show you?"

"I wonder how stupid you think I am."

"Stupid enough to find this place, apparently," Akechi replies, a hand to his forehead. Even if Akira didn't have a concussion, Akechi likely did- or perhaps his head hurt from the two times they'd bashed their heads together. "How did you get down here?"

"Down here? Where is here, anyway?"

He meets Akechi's eyes, and they are blown with some sort of emotion that Akira can't read. "You're lying. You know exactly where we are," Akechi tells him, and Akira blinks. "You know what you're doing. You have a persona- two of them, in fact. What are you doing, and how did you get down here?"

Akira contemplates making up a fake backstory as Akechi keeps talking.

There were things that Akira knew about Akechi, not because he deigned to tell him but because of what went unsaid between them. His revenge was not only for his sake, but for the sake of his mother, who took her own life. Robin Hood was first born so that he could put up a façade of a perfect, kind detective prince- but a part of him had wanted to be just like that, or Robin Hood would not exist in the first place. He would distance himself from the Phantom Thieves purposefully, always putting clear space between them when they were discussing targets or during group hangouts. At first, Akira thought that he was doing that on purpose so he wouldn't get attached to his target, but that was only part of the reason why- he was lonely. Deeply lonely, in a way that made him struggle to reach out for others due to the way he's been treated. That didn't excuse his actions, but…

What if Akira could prevent them entirely? 

He had helped a lot of people, and they helped him in turn, all due to the power of friendship, as cliché as that sounded.

"Who are you, anyway?" Akechi spits out. "I've never seen anyone like me down here. Did Shido send you? Of course I'm not the only one under his command..." He bares his teeth at the name.

"Shido?" Akira huffs, trying not to let his bitterness show. Akechi stares through his soul for a few moments before looking away. He tries not to breathe a sudden sigh of relief. Honestly, the Akechi of his future wouldn't slip up and reveal a name like that. He was too cautious, had too many cards up his sleeves. Akechi would learn to say absolutely nothing at all while saying too many words, he would learn to smile and charm anyone that looked at him, and he would especially learn not to swear, because it ruined his image.

It was because of this that Akira was endlessly charmed by this furious side of Akechi. The Akechi from this time would hate it, but a part of him reminded him of Ryuji.

Akira needs to lie down.

"Never mind. Forget you heard anything," Akechi says, as he moves to try and get up. He struggles and immediately lies back down. Akira laughs.

"Don't you fucking laugh at me," Akechi spits, right when Akira thought they were bonding nicely. "Why are you so close to me, anyway? Fuck off. And why did you stop me? She's my target!"

"Do I need to know them personally to stop you from hurting them?" Akira asks.

"I'm not laughing at you," Akira insists, a second time. A very, very long pause. "Two days ago I suddenly found a strange app on my phone."

Akira thinks that this very angry Akechi needs a friend. And all good friendships can start with watching them almost kill someone and then switch their murderous intent to you. And then knocking them out. But then again, their rivalry- friendship, whatever- was also built on the fact that Akechi was meant to kill him, so this wasn't that bad. Maybe the Akechi two years later in this exact same situation wouldn't listen to a stranger that stumbled upon him, too deep in a conspiracy that had ruined his life, but this Akechi was listening now. 

Akechi isn't looking at him, but he is listening. "I thought I accidentally got malware on my phone, so I clicked on it to see- I know, great idea right? This was two days ago. When I first arrived, I didn't know how to leave, so I just wandered around- and then soon enough, this hooded thing with a scythe came after me. Naturally I pissed myself," Akira lies, watching Akechi's face instead of anything else. Even if he hasn't perfected his speech, he's certainly perfected his poker face. "Then another creature appeared out of nowhere and stalled them- the first persona I called when I saw you about to hurt that woman. So then I hauled ass, but then I stumbled upon another monster that looked as though it wanted me dead. Next thing I know someone is speaking in my head- that very handsome persona that was restraining you, by the way, and I'm in an attractive outfit and ripping a mask off of my face. So that's my story. What about yours?"

Subtle, Akira.

"I am not obligated to tell you," Akechi says, after a moment.

Akira nudges Akechi's side. Hard. The boy glares at him through the mask. 

"I thought we were having a moment," Akira tells him, and before Akechi can say something scathing and tear up his fragile, soft heart, he continues, "I thought I was alone, and totally freaking out about everything, you know? The outfits and the monsters and my persona… Although I think I lucked out in my outfit. Genuinely, what are you wearing? Sorry that your persona- whoa!"

When Akechi takes a dagger out from seemingly nowhere and tries to stab Akira with it, Akira rolls dutifully out of the way. Maybe not friends yet, but perhaps rivals? He would eventually like to be friends, to be someone this Akechi relied on, someone he could tell everything. He deserved at least that, didn't he?

Without thinking, Akira rolls back, grabs Akechi by the front, and rolls him over so that he's pinning the boy to the ground. Ignoring Akechi's angry snarls and snapping, Akira takes the dagger from him and tosses it across the room.

"You never stop, do you?" Akira says, and with great effort, pulls himself off of Akechi's torso. Akechi has a rather murderous expression on his face, one that only makes Akira nostalgic.

"You're still full of shit," Akechi says, after a moment. He sits up, but doesn't move to attack Akira. Quietly, slowly, Akechi crosses his legs, puts his chin on his hand, and balances his elbow on his knee. "As if I could believe you when you can do all of this."

All of this? 

Oh.

Akira smirks at him, ready to dodge. He knows his smirk pisses people off, sometimes. "Is it because I kicked your ass?"

Akechi scoffs, and that one sound is so angry Akira scoots back a little. "Please. You had the element of surprise."

He tries not to smile, and hurries to change the subject back to what it once was.

"Why were you attacking that woman?" Akira asks carefully, his words drawn out.

Akechi ignores him.

"Hey. Heeeey," Akira says. He feels like it's been awhile since he's talked so much, or been purposefully annoying. He doesn't think he was ever like this, ever. Maybe it was just because it was Akechi, and he was eager to get to know this part of him. He knew all about being annoying from the people that gossiped about him in school. "Hey, you. Hey. I can do this forever. Tell me, won't you? Huh? Won't you? Tell me why you were attacking her in your ugly leotard-"

"God, do you ever shut up?" Akechi snarls, moving slightly but doesn't attack. 

"Honestly, I'm a quiet person. I just want to know more about you! I've never seen anyone else down here, Akira says, truthfully. "I don't think anything can be solved by murder," Akira lies. The truth canceled the lie out, so it was fine.

"Hah!" Akechi snorts. "So naïve. Of course anything can be solved by murder." Akira wholeheartedly agrees, but it doesn't mean he would actually do that. The Phantom Thieves don't kill- it was kind of their motto, and Akira has no interest in going to jail forever.

"Well, what'd she do to you?" Akira asks.

"I'm not obligated to tell you that," Akechi says, with a little huff.

"Well then," Akira says. "I don't know how to convince you not to kill her, but aren't you afraid of going to jail?"

Akechi laughs. "As if just anyone could get into Mementos and realize that anything happened down here. They'd be dead if they didn't have a persona."

"Still, you shouldn't kill people," Akira says, "the best revenge is living well." This makes Akechi laugh aloud, a bitter sort of sound.

"The best revenge is not living well, are you fucking crazy? The best revenge is destroying anyone that has destroyed you," Akechi says, like someone that doesn't need to go to therapy. 

"So she hurt you?" Akira asks.

"God, but you are fucking annoying," Akechi huffs. 

"Just for you, darling," Akira says, flirting on instinct. Akechi sputters, so Akira is totally fine with that. "I flirt as a defense mechanism," Akira attempts to say.

"You also throw people over your shoulder as a defense mechanism," Akechi bites out. "I still think you're full of shit. How are you so strong when you look so scrawny?"

Akira shrugs. "It's not about strength- it's about balance, and using the opponent's weight against you. But that's not the point. Regardless of whether or not you can actually get away with crimes here, it doesn't mean that you should."

Akechi rolls his eyes.

Surprisingly, it's Akechi that makes a sudden offer. 

"Fine," he says, voice still tinged with suspicion. "I won't kill Wakaba Isshiki." 

Akira knows not to get his hopes up, so he waits for the catch patiently. 

"I won't kill Wakaba Isshiki, for now," Goro tacks on, "if you teach me how you threw me over your shoulder."

"For now?"

"Next time I see her I'll get rid of her," Akechi informs him, and Akira can't help it.

"Are you fucking joking?" Akira demands. 

"No, she needs to die-"

He punches Akechi in the face, and although his fists hurt from punching his stupid mask, he feels so much better watching him go down.

Of course that ends in another tussle, the two grappling at each other and kicking each other- Akechi practically rips at his hair, so Akira takes it upon himself to twist one of Akechi's fingers and pulls it down, forcing Akechi to fall with the arm unless he wanted broken fingers. 

Akira didn't expect their first meeting to be so violent, but then again, Akechi always drove him to do crazy shit- whether intentional or otherwise.

"FUCK! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Akechi shrieks. 

"When you finally kick my ass, go ahead and kill me or whatever," Akira hisses at him. "But as if you can actually kill anyone when you're getting your ass kicked by- what was it? A scrawny kid?"

Wow, sometimes Akechi really brought out the worst of him, huh. When he'd thrown down the gauntlet- rather, his designer glove that was probably worth maybe three years worth of part time at Beef Bowl, Akira had a permanent grin on his face for the next three days. Being challenged like that- by his self-proclaimed rival-

It stirred up something dormant within him.

Akechi snarls, eyes narrowing. He looks so angry that Akira genuinely wants to run away. It's a look that he's never seen before.

"Should have called your persona," Akira informs him, and frees his grip on Akechi's hand. He immediately cradles it to his chest, looking rather violent. 

"I don't trust you," Akechi hisses.

"No, you'd have to be an idiot to do that," Akira says truthfully, "I don't trust you either," Akira lies once more.

Akechi stares at him before growling. "...Fine. You'll teach me all of your shit, and I won't kill that woman. Try anything and I'll kill you."

Akira beams so widely that Akechi reels back. "Cool. Got a name, leotards?"

"What-"

"It's what I'm going to call you if you don't give me a name," Akira clarifies, still smiling. In this strange world where no one knew him at home, Akechi was a balm of relief, prickly and all.

"Don't fucking call me that," Akechi hisses. He glances away, frowning to himself. "...Call me the Black Mask."

"That's edgy," Akira teases, making Akechi sputter. "What about… Hm, Crow?"

Akira watches him reflexively bristle at the name to reject it, but he doesn't say anything. "Fine. Crow it is. What about you?"

"Hm," Akira says. "I'm Joker, then."

"Jackass," Akechi says. 

Awkwardly, Akira gives him a hand up from the ground, and the world freezes around them.

**_I am thou, thou art I…  
Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion  
that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

****_With the birth of the Justice Persona,_  
I have obtained the winds of blessing that  
shall lead to freedom and new power… 

God, was Akira relieved to hear Lavenza's voice in his head- that really said a lot about him, didn't it? But certainly at the moment they were Caroline and Justice rather than their true self.

As soon as Akechi stands, he rips his hand from Akira's grip. "What in the _fuck_ was that?"

"What was what?" Akira blurts, not realizing that Akechi too, might have received arcana. Well, he could use more than one persona, which made him a wild card like Akira- not that Akira actually knew what that meant.

"There was a voice-" Akechi says, and then cuts himself off. With dark eyes, he squints at Akira suspiciously. 

Akira doesn't say anything. It wasn't as though he was going to tell Akechi that he was Akira's justice persona, even though it made him incredibly relieved that it was the same.

He had always wondered why Akechi was his justice- and then they got to rank 10, and Akira realized that Akechi followed his own justice, regardless of what the world thought, regardless of what anyone thought- followed his own justice until the end.

"I'll teach you next week," Akira tells him, watching Akechi still look rather confused at nothing, eyes darting all over the room. And then he frowns.

"Now," Akechi hisses.

"I have school," Akira tells him, although he couldn't actually care less about middle school right now. "And don't you have school too? You look about my age."

Akechi looks him up and down in less of a flattering way but more of a 'you're a fucking idiot' way. "How is school more important than now?"

"I have entrance exams," Akira says, even though he knows that he's going to be shipped off to Shujin anyway, so it doesn't matter where he goes. He genuinely doesn't remember where he even applied to anyway.

"Entrance exams should be over by now," Akechi says, glaring at him.

"That's true, but I need to keep my grades up," Akira says, trying to appeal to the side of Akechi who was particular about his grades- at least for the sake of appearances.

"Hmph. Fine. Sunday, same time, and if you're late I'll kill that woman," Akechi says, and begins to stomp off. Akira can't help but smile- how grumpy.

"How do you get out of here again?" Akira pretends to not know, sheepishly, and watches Akechi speed up as he walks away.

.

It's about 3 am when Akira leaves Mementos and pretends that he doesn't see Akechi emerge from the shadows at around the same time. He sighs, checking the train times on his phone. The late night train from Tokyo to Kyoto doesn't leave until 4 30 am, so he buys a ticket for the train back first and heads into a 24 hour convenience store, pretending to be really interested in the selection of assorted nuts on the shelves.

The person at the counter takes one look at Akira and promptly ignores him in favor of placing a magazine over his eyes and taking a nap, so Akira spends an hour there, rummaging through newspapers and magazines and briefly buys a pack of gummy worms and sits on the floor, chewing on them lazily while reading the articles.

There was an upcoming idol Akira's never heard about in the news for her rising popularity, her bright pink hair a drastic contrast to the black and white newspaper. 

_Irisa's new song, 'Heart on Fire,' fires up the charts and takes number 1 on the song chart for two consecutive weeks…_

He flips through the pages and reads about a woman in the police force who had seduced a corrupt politician into inadvertently confessing his crimes- and how her superiors clearly disapproved of her actions rather than congratulating her for exposing him.

_...a statement from the superintendent states that "it was setting a bad example to congratulate such schemes, even if they did result in his exposure…"_

Akira snorts, waking up the cashier on accident. Of course they wouldn't congratulate the woman for exposing him- most of the police were just as corrupt as whoever she exposed. Police were untrustworthy, no matter the year. Momentarily, he wonders if that woman was still with the force in 2016. Likely not.

There are a few crosswords in the back of the paper that he does in his head, seeing as though he forgot to pack himself a pen. He half expects Morgana to lean over his shoulder and yell at him for not getting the answer right away.

He checks his phone for the time and realizes that he has to get moving to the train, so he leaves, but not before placing every newspaper and magazine back where it belonged. He worked retail, and he knew how annoying it was to organize stuff back in their proper place.

The train is still rather full even at 4 in the morning, packed with business men and miscellaneous travelers. Akira once again takes the closest seat he can find and tries to nap.

School started at 8 30, this was about a 2 hour trip, and Akira could probably still make it to class anyway. Not that he cared much for school anyway. In the first place, he didn't have many friends until he moved to Tokyo- he was too quiet, and somewhat of a teacher's pet, but that was only because he liked pleasing people. In middle school he looked after the class rabbits, so he wasn't particularly lonely, and in high school he was in a gardening club. Well, high school before Tokyo.

If Akira skipped class, no one would even notice. Well, maybe his teacher, but after a day or so maybe. That thought used to make him sad, but honestly Akira didn't care anymore.

So Akira passes out on the train and only wakes up when an attendant passes by and gently touches his shoulder to wake him. Today was productive, but he'd have to wait a week to see Akechi again. 

Or maybe not. During the week, Akira was still going to return to Mementos to look for answers. The school year was ending soon anyway.

.

_In Tarot cards, the Fool is numbered 0, which is the number of unlimited potential. There is no specific place for the card in the deck- the Fool is always present and does not need an order. It is a card of opportunities and new beginnings when it is upright, but reversed the card represents recklessness and risk. This card…_

Akechi rubs at his eyes. This description was fine and all, but it didn't tell him why he suddenly heard a random voice in his head, whispering about how that strange person was his Fool arcana, whatever that meant.

Rubbing at his eyes, even a little, makes his head swim- that jackass was hard headed in every sense of the word. Who the hell was he, anyway? Never mind the fact that Akechi thought he was the only one in the world with a persona- there was a long nosed man in his dreams-

That sounded even stranger when he thought pointedly about it. Akechi didn't even remember that man's name, despite the fact that he introduced himself.

Next time Akechi would throw that bastard over his shoulder and demand the truth- who was he, really? He thought he was special for being granted this power, but that boy had it too. For that alone- not to mention the way he fought back- Akechi disliked him at first sight. 

Why did he fight like that when he was so skinny? Why did he stop Akechi from shooting that woman? Why did he say 'I don't want to hurt you' and then proceed to fight him? And why did he comment on his outfit like that? Akechi hadn't seen himself in a mirror or anything yet, but...

"It's not a leotard," Akechi hisses to himself. He hears Loki cackle in the back of his mind and shoves the thought away. 

In the dark of his cramped apartment, his phone lights up and buzzes quietly on his desk. Akechi takes out his phone and reads the number flashing across the screen, recognizing it as one of Shido's burner phones. 

Akechi picks it up.

"Yes. No, I did not."

He grits his teeth.

"Yes, I learned that-"

That boy in Mementos, furious when Akechi said he'd try to kill Wakaba Isshiki the next time he saw her. His crooked smile that pissed Akechi off. His utter lack of fear confronting him.

"-the cognitions are too difficult for me to attack right now. I will figure out whether or not you can kill them when I learn their weaknesses. No, I haven't confirmed if you can kill their real world counterparts by killing their shadows. Yes. I understand. I will get stronger. Yes. Thank you, sir. No sir, I will not fail you. Yes."

Akechi listens to Shido hang up, furious alone at the sound of his voice, and yet even more furious still when Shido scoffed at him for not killing Wakaba Isshiki yet. It had been two weeks since he'd been assigned to her case, his very first one, and he'd been anticipating finding her.

He knew that he could kill someone in that cognitive reality already, that he could cause breakdowns. He hadn't gotten around to killing one yet, but a shadow had dutifully explained to him that shadows can in fact die- and thus their real world counterparts can die as well- while Akechi held a gun to his head. He did, however, start a psychotic breakdown just to see if it worked, when Loki whispered in his ear and told him he could.

It did work. He watched that man write around and beg and scream for mercy and had felt virtually nothing about it.

But Akechi still didn't know what happened in the real world to that person, not yet.

The question is, why did Akechi lie on the phone? It couldn't be that he was afraid to murder someone. He was about to murder Wakaba Isshiki, as Shido demanded he use her for any and all of his new experiments-

Akechi knew he was determined to do anything so he could one day stomp on Shido's face and laugh as he begged for mercy. He had crawled right out of hell and fought tooth and nail just for the opportunity to be, essentially, his perfect assassin- 

So why?

For a moment, he thinks about that boy he met in Mementos. He had the benefit of surprise on his side, but next time Akechi would learn his secrets, and then kick his ass.

Maybe he knew Wakaba Isshiki in real life. Well, he'd just find her before they met up again and then kill her.

_Do I need to know them personally to stop you from hurting them?_

Akechi didn't even catch his name.

"Entrance exams…" Akechi mutters quietly. "...that person must be younger than me... By a year."

He closes the tab about Tarot cards and decides to sleep at least an hour before heading to school. He had to keep his grades up, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gosh akira you cant just say i wont hurt u and then proceed to kick akechis ass fbfdggfdhgc also i didnt intend on having them fight for so long but akechi just wouldnt coop with me fdksfhk
> 
> man i love me a feral akechi. 3rd semester akechi is just chefs kiss lol we'll get to a point to where akechi doesnt curse akira out every sentence but right now hes jaded! hes edgy! he doesnt trust anyone! and so akira will make it his mission to be his friend yaaaaaay
> 
> this is my chaotic good, morally gray akira i hope u like him even more as the story progresses fdhjfdh
> 
> im telling u now guys this story will have ocs. its 2014 and i cant just be like 'and so ryuji appeared out of nowhere and immediately became a member of the main cast' naw we gon have ocs but dont worry akira and akechi are the protags dsfhff. ill do my very best to make the important ocs likable and memorable! that is not to say that the known characters wont appear heh
> 
> oh and since akira and akechi got their first social links imma put it down in the notes when they get updated mm hm cool cool
> 
> also sorry i havent determined a day of the week in which to regularly update this fic yet im sorry but still the next update shall be soon. kiss kiss kiss
> 
> thank u so sosoosso much for reading!
> 
>  _akira_  
>  akechi - justice, rank 1
> 
>  _akechi_  
>  akira - fool, rank 1

**Author's Note:**

> fhsdfhjh thanks for reading! i still cant believe i uploaded this because this is just self indulgent nonsense. we'll get a better sense of how imma write akechi next chapter but i hope u enjoyed akira i tried to make him funny lol ugh and im not entirely happy withthis chapters pacing but i was like holy fuck just meet him already
> 
> if u enjoyed please let me know! also i dont have a schedule for this fic yet so. lets say soon ill upload the next one? eheheh godspeed readers forgive me godspeed is my baby im not abandoning it for this
> 
> thank u so very much for reading!


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